Is Your Hair Healthy?

It is vitally important to keep your hair healthy for three main reasons; so it looks good, feels good and, most relevant for this blog, so it continues to grow. Realistically, even if you don't look after it as well as you should, the hair will continue to grow, probably just not how you were hoping it would...

Unnurtured hair is prone to damage, exhibiting common symptoms such as dryness, dullness and split ends. In extreme cases, the hair could even begin to fall, which isn't exactly ideal if your goal is a head of lengthy, thick hair.

Luckily, there are ways to reverse the signs of damaged hair and, better yet, prevent damage in the first place. Here are some general ways to ensure your hair at it's healthiest.

Clean up your shower routine

Starting simple, conditioning your hair (especially after shampooing!) is the most important thing you can be doing for your hair. Most will see this as obvious, but there is no doubt in my mind a large number of guys won't even know what hair conditioner does. A good hair conditioner will replenish your hair, providing it with the nutrients and vitamins needed to stay strong and healthy after shampoo strips away the natural oils and products, leaving it feeling smooth and hydrated and making it easier to manage (sounding like an Elvive advert). On that note, the brand does make a difference and you should be using a quality product with ingredients to suit your hair type. Personally, I go through a ridiculous amount of conditioner, even with shorter hair, and I encourage everyone to do the same.

The second step you can take in the shower is shampooing less frequently. I get that people may see not washing your hair as disgusting, but there is simply no need to wash your hair every day. The scalp produces a natural oil called sebum (the same oil from your face) that prevents the hair from becoming dry and damaged. Every time you shampoo you strip the hair of these oils, causing it to become dry and fragile. My recommendation would be to only shampoo when the build up of natural oils and additional hair products becomes too much and your hair becomes greasy/oily. Once you begin shampooing less you will begin to notice a reduction in oil production and your hair will be able to go longer in between washes. 

Thirdly, and entirely optional, is avoid wetting your hair every day in the shower. There's no scientific evidence that this would lead to hair damage, however, in theory, due to wet hair being more vulnerable to damage, avoiding getting it wet all the time could do it some good.  My point with this one is if you don't need to get your hair wet, don't. Dry shampoo is a great way to freshen up your hair without using water, so get it added to your list.

Get Greasy

Just like conditioner, organic hair oils work to nourish your hair so that it stays healthy and, I cannot stress enough, the difference that using an organic hair oil will make to the appearance and feeling of your hair.  You can use a small amount of these oils to hydrate the dry ends of your hair and tame frizz or use my overnight leave in conditioner method the night before washing. Two oils that are great for your hair are argon oil and, my personal favourite, coconut oil.

Avoid Heat

Yes, there are a lot of things to be avoiding when taking care of your hair, another one is heat. This goes for hot water in the shower and hot hair tools such as blow dryers, curling irons and straighteners. To put it simply, heat dries out your hair, and the running theme here is DRY IS BAD. Try cooling down your showers, keeping the blow dryer far away from your hair (use the cool setting if you have hours to spare) and avoid using hot tools every day. If you must singe your lovely hair with hot tools then make sure to apply a heat protectant which can come in various forms such as, sprays, mousses, creams and oils. Argon oil can even double up as a heat protectant, so all the more reason to come by.

Additionally, just like skin, hair is vulnerable to UV damage from the sun, so if you're planning to be out in the sun for extended periods, think about getting a UV hair protectant. 

Diet comes first...

What you put in your body will show on the outside, so make sure to keep both your hair and the rest of your body healthy by subscribing to a nutritious and balanced diet. The production, growth and nutrition of your hair stems from the food you eat so eating the right ones will show. 

Protein - Hair is made of protein, making this one crucial for hair health and growth, lack of protein will lead to weak and brittle hair.

Iron - Keeping high iron levels in the blood is necessary for the hair follicle and helps prevent hair fall and excessive shedding.

Vitamin C - Vitamin C helps with the absorption of  the previously mentioned iron, as well as the production of collagen, which strengthens capillaries that supply blood to the follicle.

Omega-3 - Omega-3 are the fatty acids that provide the oils that hydrate your scalp and hair.

Vitamin A - Vitamin A is needed by the body to create the oil sebum.

Vitamin E - Vitamin E protects against sun damage.

Biotin - Biotin works to keep hair strong and healthy. A lack of biotin may lead to dry, brittle hair and potentially lead to hair loss.

Great foods to incorporate in your diet include: Dairy, eggs, wholegrains, nuts, chicken, beef, fish, broccoli, avocado and blueberries, to name a few.

You're your own worst enemy

Finally, when washing, drying and styling your hair, please be gentle. Remember hair is more fragile when wet so gently massage your scalp when shampooing and conditioning, and to avoid breakage, gently dab your hair dry, rather than roughly rubbing it with a towel. Pulling all your hair out with a rough brush also goes against your goal of achieving long, healthy hair, as you'll need to keep the hair for it to grow to your desired length. 

Cheers for making your way through another post. Next up is the stages of the growth process.

Kyle x